Our knowledgeable guide, Yvonne Jackman took the group around the six-hundred-year-old building with later additions of the 1780s, Victorian period and 1980s. Re-roofed following the Great Fire of London in 1666, again in 1866 and following The Blitz of 1940, the building acts as the town hall for the City of London. Indeed, our visit coincided with the monthly Court of Common Council and we saw the Aldermen entering the building and witnessed a lively demonstration outside of people protesting about threats to community facilities within the city.

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With shields and banners of Livery Companies, statues of notable people, remnants of the original windows glazed with cow horn, not to mention wooden representations of the mythological giants Gog and Magog, the great hall was a 3-D lesson of London and English history. Memorials to Nelson and Wellington were fascinating and a statue of Sir Winston Churchill was unveiled in 1955 by the great man himself. A painted board listing great trials in the hall included that of Lady Jane Grey, Queen for nine days after she had been encouraged to proclaim herself Queen of England following the death of Edward VI. Mary, daughter of Henry VIII and his first wife Catherine of Aragon, was not impressed, marched on London and poor Queen Jane was found guilty of high treason and executed in 1554.

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The Guildhall Art Gallery dates from 1885, but following extensive damage during the Second World War, in 1985 it was eventually decided to redevelop the site. The discovery of extensive Roman remains delayed the new building and when it was finally opened in 1999, the Gallery was proud to display the remains of part  of London’s amphitheatre under the display spaces. The artworks on display included a variety of Victorian pictures and our guide. Ian Swankie conducted us around the displays and talked with great enthusiasm about some of his favourite pictures. His use of a microphone and earpieces which he distributed to the members of the group made for a positive experience whereas the morning visit was in a cavernous hall where background sound was an issue at times. The collections of the Gallery provide colourful scenes from the history of London including the Great Fire of 1666, the Frost Fair of 1739 and the Victorian development of the city portrayed by a variety of artists. Of particular interest to our guide was a huge picture showing The Lord Mayor’s procession in November 1888. Whilst the pre-Raphaelite work by Dante Gabriel Rossetti (1828–1882) titled The Garlanded Woman provided much discussion amongst the group.

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Rounding a corner to see Salisbury Cathedral from the Meadows by John Constable (1776–1837) was disconcerting to many due to it’s unfinished appearance. Upon reading the label one discovered it was an oil sketch before the final painting was undertaken and the resulting picture, which was completed in 1831, now hangs in Tate Britain.

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The author was particularly interested in the detail of an axe dripping blood over a marble floor in the oil painting Clytemnestra by John Collier (1850-1934) and a picture of 1885 entitled Quarrymen of Purbeck, Dorset by Henry Wells (1828-1903) showing the loading of stone onto barges before its shipment to London be used in rebuilding works.

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The work of Sir Mathew Smith (1879-1959) was unknown to most of the members and the influence of Matisse reflected his studies in Paris in the early years of the 20th century. Our visit concluded with a visit to the preserved remains of part of the amphitheatre under the gallery, the completed outline of which was marked in black tiles in Guildhall Square outside. It was a grand day out in beautiful Spring weather and members enjoyed the opportunity of experiencing the history and artworks on view in both buildings.

Tony Cross